The Kalamazoo Humane Society will be taking the Pet Food Bank to the Mothers Of Hope Ultimate Family Reunion and we need your help to make the biggest impact!

For the second year, KHS will be attending the Mothers of Hope Ultimate Family Reunion at LaCrone Park in Kalamazoo’s Northside neighborhood on Saturday, August 5th. We knew this event was important for our community, but I didn’t realize just how important until I was there.

The Ultimate Family Reunion had organizations and businesses from all over Kalamazoo helping those in our community that need it most. There were free haircuts for kids, school bags and school supplies to be handed out and a lot of information about services for families who are struggling. It was a very positive environment with entertainment, food and activities.

Not knowing what to expect, I brought all of our leftover Dog Walk t-shirts from previous years, pencils and information about our Pet Food Bank and Operation Fix-It. We had a few hundred t-shirts to give away and I couldn’t believe we ran out before the event was half over.

In the crowd were a lot of homeless citizens who were happy for a new clean shirt to wear. I remember when we were down to the last shirt, a small boy who couldn’t have been more than 8-10 years old asked me if he could have a shirt. The only shirt I had left as an Adult 2X so I told him it was too big, and that I was out of kid shirts. He looked at me, and the shirt I was holding up, and said that he would still wear it, and that he could tuck it in. I knew then that he neededthis shirt, even if it was going to be way too big. I handed it to him, and he thanked me with excellent manners.

There were so many kids at this event with their families that all needed things. Things for school, things to wear, things to eat, things to do, things for their pets. When I was driving away, I saw a family who had just left the event walking down the street, all wearing new KHS Dog Walk t-shirts. Having two young boys of my own I was deeply effected by the kids I met at this event and the need of the people who came to the Ultimate Family Reunion.

For 2017, to be able to offer even more help, we’re planning to bring our Pet Food Bank so that we can distribute food for pets while we’re there. We’ll be taking sign-ups for the food bank program on-site and helping as many as we can while supplies last. Based on my experience last year, I know we’ll be giving out a lot of pet food and supplies to people who truly need a helping hand.

This is where we need your help! Anyone who has pet items, or who can donate pet food, cat litter and pet supplies is strongly encouraged to bring items to our office by Thursday, August 3rd. I’ll be loading up the KHS van on Friday to get ready for the event on Saturday.

Any items in new or used and good condition will be accepted, especially leashes, collars, harnesses, brushes, nail clippers or other basic pet supplies for cats and dogs. Donations of small bags of food (5-7 lb bags work great), cat litter, canned food or treats would also be appreciated.

These donations will be driven directly to LaCrone Park on Saturday, August 5th, to help some of the most impoverished pet owners in Kalamazoo. Thank you for your help!

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Kalamazoo Humane Society Receives More Than $30,000 from PetSmart Charities® to fund Fix-A-Pit program

Local pet parents can get their Pit Bull and Pit Bull mixes spayed or neutered for $20

KALAMAZOO, MI (February 21, 2017) – Pit bull terriers end up in shelters in large numbers due to myths and misperceptions, which impact public opinions of the breed and reduce the adoption rates of these dogs in local animal shelters.

That’s why the Kalamazoo Humane Society, with funding support from PetSmart Charities, the leading funder of animal welfare in North America, is offering the Fix-A-Pit program. Thanks to a generous grant for more than $30,000 from PetSmart Charities, the Kalamazoo Humane Society will provide a special $20 spay/neuter surgery and free nail trim for pit bull terriers and pit bull terrier mixes throughout 2017.

“Spaying/neutering a pet is the most effective thing a pet parent can do to prevent unwanted litters from being born that will ultimately end up in local shelters,” says Aaron Winters, Executive Director of the Kalamazoo Humane Society.

Some pet parents may be hesitant to get their young puppies sterilized. But the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) endorses spaying and neutering puppies as young as eight to 10 weeks old. Research also shows that the procedure may improve the behavior and health of the pet, including reducing the risk of certain reproductive cancers and infections.

“At PetSmart Charities, we are committed to ending pet homelessness,” said Kelly Balthazor, regional relationship manager at PetSmart Charities. “By supporting the Kalamazoo Humane Society in their effort to make spay and neuter services more accessible and affordable for all pet parents, we hope to reduce unwanted litters and pet overpopulation and end pet homelessness across the state of Michigan.”

This special $20 rate is even less than the organization’s normal low-cost price and is available to the public. This program is based on availability.

Thanks to the PetSmart Charities grant, the Kalamazoo Humane Society will provide 350 Fix-A-Pit sterilizations for $20 in 2017. Please visit www.kazoohumane.org or call 269-345-1181 for more information or to schedule an appointment.

About the Kalamazoo Humane Society:

Founded in 1897, the Kalamazoo Humane Society is a non-sheltering animal welfare organization that provides pet population control, humane education and emergency response services to pets, pet owners and other animal agencies throughout southwest Michigan. Find out more at http://www.kazoohumane.org, or follow KHS on Facebook.

About PetSmart Charities:

PetSmart Charities, Inc. is a nonprofit animal welfare organization that saves the lives of homeless pets. Each year nearly 500,000 dogs and cats find homes through our adoption program in all PetSmart® stores across the U.S. and sponsored adoption events. Each year millions of PetSmart shoppers contribute to PetSmart Charities to help pets in need by making donations on a pin pad at the register. PetSmart Charities efficiently uses 90 cents of every dollar to support its mission of finding lifelong, loving homes for all pets. PetSmart Charities grants more money to directly help pets in need than any other animal welfare group in North America, with a focus on funding adoption and spay/neuter programs that help communities solve pet overpopulation. PetSmart Charities is a 501(c)(3) organization, independent from PetSmart, Inc. PetSmart Charities has received the Four Star Rating for the past 13 years from Charity Navigator, an independent nonprofit that reports on the effectiveness, accountability and transparency of nonprofits, placing it among the top one percent of charities rated by this organization.

KHS Offices will be closed today (Friday, 9/30/16) from 11AM – 1PM while we get ready for some big changes and updates coming to Operation Fix-It!

Operation Fix-It has altered over 60,000 cats and dogs since it began in 2002, and that’s a big deal! We’re working hard to combat pet overpopulation on the front lines, by preventing future litters of unplanned and unwanted kittens and puppies from flooding local shelters and rescues.

Over the years, we’ve created a streamlined system that has helped us reach that 60,000 but we know we can do even better! That’s why, beginning Monday, October 3, 2016 Operation Fix-It will begin pre-pay registration for both cats and dogs, and we’ll also be able to offer online registration and payments.

If you need to schedule a cat or dog for surgery, you’ll need to have your surgery fee up-front to get on the schedule. Your pre-payment will reserve your appointment day, and will hopefully reduce the number of no-shows and cancellations we receive.

A high rate of cancellations limits the number of surgeries we’re able to do, and wastes an opportunity for an animal to be altered through our program.

To make registration as easy as possible, we’re now offering online registration, which means you can register your pet and pre-pay online with a credit card, and then be contacted by our staff to get you scheduled.

To schedule online, simply go to: www.kazoohumane.org, then click on the the Schedule a Surgery button on our home page.

This new registration process begins on Monday, October 3rd! For those who don’t have internet access we’ll still accept paper application and mailed in payments. Our hope is that this will help those who would prefer to register and pre-pay at the same time via the internet.

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There’s an amazing quote by a 20th century philosopher named Martin Buber: “An animal’s eyes have the power to speak a great language.”

Respect, responsibility and compassion are important elements of that message. And the Kalamazoo Humane Society is taking the lead in making sure the message is clearly heard.

We’re very proud of our latest tool to deliver that message: a new video titled “Speaking a Great Language: The Story of the Kalamazoo Humane Society.” You can watch it on YouTube by clicking here. It’s a brief but engaging inside look at the history, advocacy and services we provide to pets and the community at large:

We lead in providing low-cost spay and neuter services. Each year KHS performs more than 6,000 procedures through Operation Fix-It, a program that has already surpassed the milestone of 50,000 surgeries. This drives down the population of unwanted animals, meaning fewer animals sent to shelters or destroyed.

We feed 500 pets every day through our emergency food bank. This sustains our animal friends and helps pet owners who are in financial need.

We partner with the YWCA’s domestic assault program to house animals from troubled homes, removing a barrier to people who struggle to leave an abusive situation.

We offer educational resources to help people learn how to care for animals appropriately and humanely.

I hope you enjoy our video. All of us at KHS are grateful for the generous supporters and committed volunteers who help us make a positive impact on this great community. By sharing this video and supporting our cause, you join in speaking the great language of respect, responsibility and compassion for our animals.